ENGLISH

This semester our focus in English is on traditional and short stories, poetry, media and perspectives from the past. 

TERM 1 

Traditional Stories from Asia 

Learning Intentions

Students will:

• understand that many traditional stories originate from peoples and countries of Asia
• identify morals and messages in traditional stories from Asia
• understand how storytellers use text structure and language features to meet the context and purpose of the text
• use comprehension strategies to demonstrate literal and inferred understanding of traditional stories
• respond to traditional stories and express a point of view
• understand how to organise a traditional story using a narrative structure
• understand how to select language features to build meaning and engage an audience
• write a traditional story with an important message for a younger audience
• present a story using appropriate volume, pace, and tone for the intended audience.

Humour in Poetry 

Learning Intentions

Students will:

• understand that poems including nonsense poems, limericks and rhymes and chants vary in complexity depending on the topic, purpose and audience
• understand that authors choose structural features and poetic devices to meet the purpose and audience of a poem
• identify structural features and poetic devices used in a poem that create humour
• experiment with the structural features and poetic devices used by authors to innovate on these poems and create own humorous effects
• explain how authors use structural features and poetic devices to create humorous effects to express a viewpoint about a poem.

Short Stories: 

Learning Intentions

Students will:

• analyse how text structures and language features work together to entertain readers of short stories
• understand how authors often innovate on text structures and play with language features to achieve particular humorous effects
• identify and compare narrative elements used by authors for humorous effect
• understand how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning and feeling
• identify words and word groups that expand and sharpen ideas about characterisation, conflict, and plot in short stories
• understand how authors' language choices and strategies influence readers
• use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from 2 or more short stories
• analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes, or plots.

Writing a short story:

Learning intentions

Students will:

• understand how text structures and language features work together in a short story
• understand how narrative text structures engage the reader
• understand how authors adapt or combine aspects of short stories in innovative ways
• be able to adapt aspects of familiar short stories
• understand use of cohesive devices in short stories
• be able to use complex sentences in short stories in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend and explain ideas
• understand how authors use specific language features to enhance aesthetic purposes and effects of the short story
• be able to identify and adapt characteristics that define an author's individual style
• be able to adapt aspects of a short story
• be able to make and explain editing choices
• be able to write a short story about a character who faces a conflict.

TERM 2

Aboriginal Stories 

Learning Intentions

Students will:

• understand that stories are told in different ways depending on cultural context and purpose

• understand that there are many First Nations Countries in Australia each with their own stories that have been passed down orally through generations

• understand how storytellers select language features to link ideas and provide details about events

• identify how Aboriginal stories use text structures and language features to convey important cultural knowledge and beliefs

• use comprehension strategies to connect ideas across a story

• to create and present an informative multimodal response to an Aboriginal story.

Perspectives from the Past

Learning Intentions

Students will:

• understand that literary texts not only entertain but can inform and influence readers to build understanding about events from the past.

• understand that authors choose text structures and language features to meet the context and purpose of the text

• understand that texts represent different perspectives

• understand that authors can add imaginative details to texts based on historical facts to engage the interest of an audience

• identify the structure and language features used to meet the purpose and intended audience of a range of texts

• use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred understanding of past events

• create an imaginative recount, based on the ideas and information explored in texts

• present a spoken recount.

Examining media texts

Learning intentions

Students will:

• Evaluate the reliability and credibility of different types of evidence according to agreed criteria and consider how evidence can be used to support and present a particular point of view 
• Understand how authors use text structures, language and visual features to influence an audience to accept a particular point of view
• Read, interpret and comprehend information on an issue to classify and select evidence 
• Draft, edit and publish a feature article.

Exploring news reports in the media

Learning intentions

Students will:

• understand how news reports from various media sources represent ideas and events in specific ways
• understand that specific language choices position an audience to view the actions of a person or group in a particular way
• understand that complex sentences are used to combine details of issues and events in news reports
• understand how text structures and language features in written responses work together to inform an audience about the reporting of a news event
• understand how the analysis of a news report assists in creating a written response to a news report
• to be able to write a written response to a news report that examines text structures and the use of language to influence an audience
• to be able to edit students’ own and others’ work and explain choices.